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Use this forum to read, comment on and suggest your own ideas and concepts about design and architecture – and what works best, and worst, in the Edmonton environment, practically and philosophically.enThu, 21 Mar 2019 20:55:16 GMTvBulletin60http://www.connect2edmonton.ca/images/misc/rss.pngConnect2Edmonton - Architecture and Designhttp://www.connect2edmonton.ca/
“the greenest building is one that’s already built.”http://www.connect2edmonton.ca/showthread.php?40920-“the-greenest-building-is-one-that’s-already-built-”&goto=newpost
Sun, 03 Mar 2019 23:15:07 GMTYour thoughts on the adage: “the greenest building is one that’s already built.”

My view is the recycling isn’t much different that consuming and landfilling, whereas repurposing actually reduces the consumption of natural resources but often at an added cost of labour.

Quote:

Is the greenest building one that’s already built? A UW professor investigates | The Seattle Times

Beyond that, suggests Merlino, the very fabric of an existing building — especially one that uses “long-lasting, durable materials” — should be regarded as a natural resource. In an era of anxiety over climate change and environmental depredation, developers need “to equate the preservation of buildings to the conservation of energy.”...

“In other words, an existing building doesn’t have to be an architectural landmark to be worth saving. “Modest, vernacular and often unremarkable buildings” have roles to play, too. “Building Reuse” closes with 13 “sustainable reuse case studies” that illustrate this. They include Seattle’s Supply Laundry Building and the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience, plus fascinating examples of building transformations in ...”

The Advantages of Reusing Old Buildings: We Need Hard Data - The Atlantic

“The Trust's Green Lab was established two years ago to provide some answers. The initiative's web site explains that, while recent research has explored the environmental benefits of newly constructed green buildings, it has not, for the most part, studied the benefits of building reuse.”

the Greenest building: Quantifying the environmental
Value of building reuse

7. anaLysIs and concLusIons
anaLysIs of fIndInGs
This study reveals that the reuse and retrofit of buildings of equivalent size and functionality can, in most cases, meaningfully reduce the negative environmen- tal impacts associated with building development. Significantly, even if it is assumed that a new building will operate at 30-percent greater efficiency than an existing building, it can take between 10 and 80 years for a new, energy effi- cient building to overcome the climate change impacts that were created during construction. An exception to this is the multifamily-to-warehouse conversion; in this scenario, the average-performing reuse option does not offer a climate- change advantage as compared to a new, energy efficient building.
Notably, this study finds that the benefits of building reuse can be reduced or even eliminated depending on the type and quantity of materials selected for a reuse project. Therefore, care must be taken to select construction materials that minimize environmental impacts.

This section discusses the findings of this study and explores barriers to reuse, retrofit, and effective materials selection. It also offers recommendations for future research and analysis.

reuse matters

The demolition of buildings to make way for new construction is common in the United States. While some replacement of the existing building stock is undoubtedly necessary, the results of this study suggest that building reuse offers a significant opportunity to avoid environmental impacts. In all of the scenarios examined in this study, there is an immediate carbon savings associ- ated with reuse and renovation as compared to new construction, when com- paring buildings of equivalent size, functionality and energy performance. In all but one scenario, there is also an immediate carbon savings associated with reuse and renovation as compared to more energy efficient, new buildings.
...”